Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-12-23
Wrongs Of Dakota.
Norm MADISON, Ne. Dec. 21

prised at the seeming sympathy of its people
relative to the political rights Of Dakota +
remember years ago of reading the stirring
ana vigorous speeches of Sumner and other
eastern Congressman in regard to the crime
against Kansas; of Seward arraignino the
pro-slavery element of the Democratic marty
Tor impeding the admission of California
because IT desired to become a free STATE
The whole East was alive with indignation
created by the policy Of the pro-slayery
democracy IN denying the admission of the
states whose claims for admission were in
disputable. But how is it in regard to the
denial of the rights of Dakota:
| have been in Maine two weeks and have
scarcely heard word of criticism of the
administration Democracy in regard to its
cfune against Dakota, and in my limited
reading of the press of the State have not
seen syllable of criticism much less denun-
ciaton. | hear much sympathy expressed
lot Ireland IN its struggle for local self-gov-
eminent, but not word for the six or seven
| hundred thousand people of Dakota who are
struggling for that same right in this country
winch boasts of government ''of the people
! for the people, and by the people
| The injustice against Kansas, California or
any other territory falls into insignifeance
when compared with that of Dakota. Kan
| sas or California when admitted had not one
seventh of the population of Dakota to-day
According to the estimate of President Cleye-
lands New York Governor of Dakota, made
in his report to the Secretary of the Interior,
Dakota's population, based on school, land
office and other reports and its vote is about
825 900, nearly as populous as the State of
Maine. 1t has ,207 miles of railroad in op-
Grafton and much more under construction
| IL is more populous than eleven States of the
| Union, has more national banks, more news
papers, more presidential post offices, more
cultivated farms, than any of about one-half
Of the States, and in the number of miles of
| its railroads it takes a front rank 1t has two
I State universities, three normal schools and
eleven denominational colleges, two asylums
for the insane, an asylum for the deaf and
dumb, and all the charitable and penal insti
tutions which most any State has. And all of
these schools and institutions are not only so
| in name but have elaborate and expensive
buildings and are in active operation. In
fact Dakota has all the attendants Of civilza-
ton and as intelligent and honest people as
any State of this boosted free country. The
only crime of its people is that large ma
! jority Of them are Republicans. Were it adj
mitted into the Union a State with
the representation to which it is entitled
it would have two Republican United
States Senators four Republican Representa-
tives and would next fall cast its electoral
vote for Blaine. And the Democratic party
leaders are determined that shall not be.
| The Democratic party is in business exclu-
sively for the Democratic party. Dakota
and the people be id, is one of its
notices.
| 1t makes Dakota a dependent province of
| har ttp art,F MIA in Ifnh col
provide offices for its spoils hunters. Its
Governor, a sweet scented geranium and
chum of Cleveland in the palmy days of the
Maria Iialpns, was imported by Cleveland
from New York, and half of his other Dakota |
appointees are choice New York importa-
tons. The judge of the judicial district in
which reside recently was sent from New |
York, knowing nothing of the Dakota practice
or little of any other before he came to
Dakota. The executive and judicial de-
partments are all administered by carpet
baggers and many of our laws made by a
Democratic Congress. The territory is
cursed by carpet-baggers as no southern
State ever was
To show how inadequate our territorial
condition is to meet the exigencies of Dakota,
will mention few of its disadvantages. |
First, the territorial judiciary is wholly in
sufficient to meet the wants of n community |
like Dakota, which outgrew its territorial
swaddling clothes several years ago. In the
district where | reside one judge has to
preside over Court in twenty three counties
and in each of these counties are al |
ways from fifty to one hundred cases upon
the court docket; that one judge has to do
all the court business of the district except
the little done by justices of the peace. Per-
sons accused of high crime, whom the consti- |
tuition says shall have speedy trial, often lie
in Jail over year without trial; in fact the |
whole judiciary is farce inadequate is it
to meet the exigencies of a territory or state |
the size of Dakota.
Our public schools have to be supported
and school houses built wholly by direct tax
atoms when contiguous states like Mime sofa
and Iowa have the school lands which are
one sixteenth of the whole area to help sup
port their schools; but Dakota is territory
and can derive no benefit from the munif-
cent grant of school lands until it becomes a
state.
There is no check upon these imported
state officers, no check upon their corruption.
For example, last winter 500, 1000 was appro-
prated to build additions to the insane asylum
at Yankton; but several state officers belong
to loan and trust company and the 800 900
is not used for the purpose designed and a
Z
be put into county jails. petty quarrel has
been gotten up with the asylum trustees as a
pretext for Withholding the appropriation to
build the wing of the asylum. volume
might be written of such proceedings.
But why is Dakota not admitted The |
great territory, the peer of any state in the |
Union in all that is essential to state
hood, knocked at the Senate door of the !
Capitol with her petition two years ago this
winter. and received the consent of the Re-
publican Senate to admission. She crossed
the hall to the lower house and what was her
reception? She was spit upon by Democracy |
because of her Republicanism. And last
winter no bill for the admission of Dakota in
any form, whether introduced by Republi |
can or De mocrat could be gotten before the
open House; they were all stifed in COM
mittee, The Democrats had majority on
the committees and afraid were they of
having an open discussion on the merits of
the admission of Dakota go before the coun- |
try that they would not allow the subject to |
be considered in the House The Republic |
can leaders would have made such strong |
case of gross injustice of the Democratic
marty towards Dakota that the Democratic |
leaders did not dare to 90 before the country
with the record. And that is one reason we
hear so little east about Dakota's wrongs |
now We sympathize deeply with the
wrongs of ireland and stand aghast when
contemplating many of the gross wrongs
governments have perpetrated in the past,
but deed scarcely more dark than the treat
ment of Dakota was never perpetrated since
the unborn surges slumbered in chaos and
darkness lay upon the face of the deep. Yet
it is all in harmony with the record of the
Democratic party. which has been one of
tyranny, usurpation hypocracy and inn
beelity. II. N DRAM
Personals.
Mr.. d. d. Flynt of Dexter was in the city |